How to Fine-Tune DALL-E 3 Images Step by Step
Crafting a character and refining it step by step is a smooth process in DALL-E 3. The real secret? Make sure DALL-E 3 knows which image you’re referencing throughout your conversation. This helps keep your chosen style consistent. Master this, and you’ve unlocked the full potential of DALL-E 3 for your image editing tasks.
You’ll find all you need to get started with DALL-E 3 in this article, so if it’s your first time, click here:
👉 How to Use DALL-E 3 in ChatGPT
First off, here’s a pro tip: use this prompt in the Custom Instructions to help DALL-E 3 keep track of your image:
Prompt: Assign a unique identifier to each image displayed beneath it in the format: “x” followed by a sequential number.
This neat trick is credited to X user @anukaakash, aiming to let DALL-E 3 tag each image with an ID for smoother editing.
![dalle 3 custom instructions button](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/dalle%203%20custom%20instructions%20button-1699257216.jpg)
![dalle 3 custom instructions](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/dalle%203%20custom%20instructions-1699257325.jpg)
Ready to craft characters? Here’s the prompt I used to kick things off:
Prompt: Create a 3D Pixar-style cartoon character named Juna, a young girl with a cheerful and friendly look. Juna has light brown skin, a cute button nose. Her hair is a curly, voluminous bob that falls to her shoulders, and she’s wearing a cozy beige knitted hat.
DALL-E 3 responds with two images, marked as x1
and x2
.
![create characters in dalle 3](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/create%20characters%20in%20dalle%203-1699257728.jpg)
These identifiers are gold! They let us fine-tune images to our heart’s content. For our character scene:
Prompt: Juna from Image x1 is sharing ice cream with a friendly dragon in a sunny park.
![character is sharing ice cream in dalle 3](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/character%20is%20sharing%20ice%20cream%20in%20dalle%203-1699258037.jpg)
We get two new identifiers, x3
and x4
. I’m partial to x3
for my original character. Say I want to add a marshmallow to Juna’s scene in x3
, my prompt goes like this:
Prompt: Juna from Image x3 is sharing a cotton candy with the same dragon from Image x3.
![character is sharing cotton candy in dalle 3](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/character%20is%20sharing%20cotton%20candy%20in%20dalle%203-1699258554.jpg)
A few tries in, and x5
still resembles x3
best. Want to isolate dragons in x5
? Here’s the prompt I used:
Prompt: Image of a cheerful dragon from Image x5 wearing a white chef’s hat and apron, joyfully cooking with a wooden spoon and an assortment of colorful vegetables around it.
The dragons aren’t an exact match to x5
, but they vibe with Pixar’s style.
![chef dragon by dalle 3](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/chef%20dragon%20by%20dalle%203-1699258953.jpg)
Next, I fancied moving Juna from x6
to x8
. Check out the prompt:
Prompt: Create an image blending characters and elements from both Image x6 and Image x8, ensuring the characters’ consistency.
![dragon and girl in kitchen by dalle 3](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/dragon%20and%20girl%20in%20kitchen%20by%20dalle%203-1699259448.jpg)
By the way, DALL-E 3 has recently been fine-tuned to give each image a gen_id
by default. For instance, here’s how to view gen_id
for two images:
![gen_id by dalle 3](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/gen_id%20by%20dalle%203-1699259677.jpg)
But I find this gen_id
a tad cumbersome. It’s just easier with x
. Although it’s great for pinpointing images, maintaining character consistency can be hit or miss. Take for example placing Juna with a marshmallow in x9
:
Prompt: Please have the girl from rGAIvC9U9GwISUgP hold a cotton candy in her hand in the same scene.
![girl holding cotton candy with dragon in dalle 3](https://vito-pic-1258434439.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/girl%20holding%20cotton%20candy%20with%20dragon%20in%20dalle%203-1699259972.jpg)
For those aiming for tighter character consistency, I’ve shared some tricks in another piece here: